Secret Santa
by Chi Haku
Summary: The girls force Ame into doing Secret Santa for Christmas. Of course, Pirka rigs it... RenAme RenxAme RenOC RenxOC


"Secret….Santa."

"Uh-huh!"

"…Can I shoot you?"

Pirka pouted, lightly whacking Ame on the head.

"Ameee!" she whined. "C'mon! It's Christmas and all the other girls are doing it!"

"Peer pressure will kill us all."

Pirka's pout worsened and Ame rolled her eyes, looking away, back to her homework, which was laying half-finished on her lap.

One of the only good things about being in boarding school was that you were generally never alone for Christmas. The downside of that was, of course, that you were generally stuck with hoodlums and nobodies who had nowhere to go. Unless you were Ame Kurotsuki, because then all your friends decided to stick around for Christmas just to annoy you.

As it was, this is Ame Kurotsuki we're talking about, so she wasn't exactly alone, which was the exact opposite of what she wanted. Her friends, being who they were, preferred to goof off and have fun during the two and a half week break. She, on the other hand, preferred to work on her homework (actually get it DONE).

And so, through a series of seemingly improbable events, Ame found herself sitting in the girl's common room, being bugged by Pirka.

"Oh don't be mean."

Ame glanced up at Matti, who was sitting cross-legged in an easy chair.

"A Secret Santa doesn't sound so bad, huh Mary?"

Mary nodded from her seat on the floor.

"Mary thinks it sounds fun."

"What are we talking about?"

Jun entered from the upstairs dorms with Sati, looking around at the younger students.

"A Secret Santa!" Pirka gushed instantly.

"Secret Santa?" Sati asked. "If it works like the name, it seems exciting."

Ame groaned, rolling her eyes and leaning her head back against the arm of the couch she was laying on.

"Sati! Not you too!"

Sati looked a little confused.

"What's so bad about a Secret Santa?"

"Apart from the fact that you have to buy a gift for a random person because you happen to "be their Santa"?" Ame asked sarcastically.

All the girl's present in the room pouted in unison, eyes fixed on Ame.

"Ame…." Pirka whined. "If you don't do it….it won't be even…."

Ame was quiet, trying to work on her homework. She lasted five minutes before the pleading gazes got to her and she snapped with an exasperated sigh.

"FINE! But ONLY because you're all being annoying!"

Everyone cheered.

~.~

An hour later found the whole girl's dormitory that remained at school sitting in a circle on the common room floor, awaiting Pirka's instructions. Ame sat between Kanna and Jun, legs crossed and scowling.

HOW had she gotten roped into this again?

"Okay everybody!" Pirka said with a smile. "Here's how it works! In here, I have the names of all the boys staying over for Christmas! Each girl's going to pick one name from the hat and pass it on to the next person, and no telling!"

"What's in it for us?"

Ame mentally cheered for Anna.

"Us?" Pirka's grin turned evil. "Well the boys are choosing our names right now too!"

Cheers went up all around.

*Brilliant…* Ame thought sourly.

"I'll start!"

Pirka closed her eyes and reached into the hat, rummaging around for a moment before pulling out a name.

She looked at it and smiled.

"Joco!"

"Pirka!"

The girl blushed.

"Oops, broke my own rule. Okay, no one else tells!"

The hat went around from girl to girl, with mixed reactions from each. Mary and Anna both looked hopeful, then scowled when they saw who they got. Anna looked over Mary's shoulder discreetly and muttered; "Trade ya." Mary took one look at Anna's slip and nodded furiously, handing her own over.

Everyone pretended not to see, no doubt the girls had gotten the Asakura's but probably the wrong one.

Finally, the hat reached Ame and she reached her hand in a and pulled out a name. She stared at the paper, eyeing it warily like it was going to burst into flame at any moment. Slowly, she opened the paper and her eyes widened.

'_Tao Ren'_

Jun and Kanna both looked over her shoulder and they both smirked at their younger friend.

"Bite me." she hissed.

They just grinned.

~.~

A week went by and Christmas struck with a violent storm of snow and sleet that kept everyone indoors. Christmas eve found everyone inside the communal common room, sitting around a huge fireplace, presents on laps, names hidden.

Ame sat in the back on and armchair, curled into her usual catlike ball, present behind her back where no one could see it.

Pirka had insisted on going first and proudly presented Joco with a book on jokes from around the world. Anna and Mary followed up with their gifts to their respective twins (a book on legends about fire for Hao from Mary, an orange turn over cake from Anna to Yoh). Jun handed off a new pair of nun chucks to Bailong (how she got her hands on those, they would forever question). Sati gave Ryu a set of Buddhist prayer beads they she herself had blessed (he almost fainted with joy), and Kanna practically threw her gift at Lead (he caught the metal-work made snake though, smirking the whole time).

Tamao shyly gave Manta the carved Tanuki statue she had worked all week on, the both of them blushing the whole time. Matti grinned, handing Horo a knitted scarf decorated in grinning pumpkins and white bunnies ("Is that a heart between them Matti…?" "SHUT UP KANNA!").

Finally, only Ame was left.

*Wonderful.* she thought sourly.

Slowly, she uncurled from her chair and walked over to the general circle. Blushing, she cleared her throat, package behind her back. Eyes turned to her and she flushed more.

Purposely looking in the opposite direction, she held out the gift to Ren, biting her lip.

Ren, looking slightly surprised, took the offered gift. Laying it across his lap, he ripped off the paper in an almost gentle fashion, slowly pulling the frame out from its confines. There were gasps from around the circle as he began to turn the frame to its front. Rarely, did Ame EVER draw for someone else. And if she did, she didn't color it for sure.

This however, was a full on painting, signed and everything.

It was a tiger, lounging languidly beneath a peach tree beside a flowing river, light glancing off its fur. In the background were beautiful mountains, and in between two of them, on could see the top of Tao manor. And, quickly noticed by all, beside the tiger, was curled a small fox, tail brushing its nose.

"It's….wow Ame…" Ren murmured. "It's beautiful."

Ame flushed more.

"Whatever." she muttered. "I couldn't think what to buy you so…Whatever."

She scampered back to her seat, ignoring Nickrome grinning at her back and curling up in her seat again.

*Just think about homework. Think about your homework….DAMNIT I DON'T HAVE ANY HOMEWORK LEFT.*

The boy's went next, dishing out their gifts to practically the same girls. ("DAMNIT PIRKA YOU RIGGED THIS I KNOW IT!") To quickly sum it up, the girl's found themselves VERY happy with what they got. (Kanna actually hugged Lead for the medieval charm bracelet he had gone through hell to get for her.)

Ren however, didn't even move. He just kept staring at the painting Ame had made him with a transfixed kind of look. Ame tried very hard not to let her disappointment show.

~.~

"G'night!"

Ame waved good night to Mary and Anna, both of whom were staying with their respective boyfriends for the night. (Another good thing about vacations in boarding school, teachers rarely give a shit whatever you do.) The other girls and boys had drifted off elsewhere, leaving the young girl to go her own way.

Burying her nose in her scarf, Ame made her way back to the dorms, eyes downcast. She had really been hoping (with how damn rigged the whole thing had been anyway) that Ren had gotten her, but she hadn't seen him give anyone anything. (Like Nickrome, who had decided against participating.)

*Maybe my luck is really just THAT bad…*

"Ame!"

Ame paused in her steps, turning around to see Ren running up to her. He stopped beside her, catching his breath, then stood straight again.

"Sorry, I was gonna walk you out, but I wanted to put the picture you made me in the dorm. I didn't want it to get ruined."

Ame flushed.

"It's not that big a deal…just a painting…"

"It means the world to me."

Ame couldn't tear her eyes away from Ren's face, his soft smile and twinkling eyes. She would never get used to that smile being directed at her, never.

"And speaking of, I forgot to give you your present."

This time Ame blinked.

"My…?"

"Yeah. You were right, Horo and Pirka totally rigged it. I got you."

Ren pulled something out of his pocket and pressed it into her hand. Looking down, Ame caught sight of a small box tied with a white ribbon. Glancing up at the elder boy, she untied the box, and slowly lifted the lid. Inside, on one of those small black cushions where rings lay, was a pink heart chocolate, with "BE MINE" written on it. Ame gaped.

"R-Ren I…"

He held up a hand.

"If you're going to say no, it's okay, I just wanted to get it-"

"Of COURSE you idiot!"

He blinked.

"Of course…?"

Ame flushed again.

"Of course I'll be your's."

Ren blinked again, then smirked triumphantly. Leaning forward, he pecked Ame gently on the lips, eyes closed. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but it made Ame's heart flutter in her chest.

"May I walk you to the dorm?" he asked.

Ame just nodded, not even coming close to complaining as his hand linked with hers.

*I have to remember to hug Pirka for convincing me to do this…* Ame thought distractedly, as she laid her head against Ren's shoulder.

XxXxX

**A/N:** LACK OF WRITING SKILLS CONTINUES TO BE ATTRIBUTED TO SEASON FINALE OF _SUPERNATURAL_.


End file.
